By Jessie Burchette

Salisbury Post

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners will welcome new commissioners and say goodbye to two veterans who will leave office Monday night.

Most of the Monday evening session will be a mix of pomp as newly elected board members Tina Hall, Jon Barber and Chad Mitchell take the oath of office from Resident Superior Court Judge Larry Ford.

Barber, a Republican, and Hall, a Democrat, are both from Mount Ulla and both newcomers to the board.

Mitchell of Faith is an incumbent and will begin his second four-year term.

Barber, Hall and Mitchell join Arnold Chamberlain and Jim Sides who are midway through their second term. Sides first term was in the early 1980s. Chamberlain served his first term from 2000-2004.

Commissioners will honor Steve Blount, who has served 12 years on the board, and Frank Tadlock, who has served 10 years.

For the past year, Tadlock has battled brain cancer, which has left him severely weakened, but he has demonstrated a determination to serve out his term.

The new board will select a chairman and vice chairman and then take a break for a reception to honor the new members and the outgoing members.

Following the reception, the board has a limited schedule of business.

The major item of business is a detailed report from the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education on the school construction program that grew out of the $77 million bond issue approved by voters in 2001.

Rowan-Salisbury received around $74 million of the bond money with the remainder going to the Kannapolis City Schools which has about 5 percent of the county’s students.

Detailed financial reports submitted to the county show the budget for the bond projects now at $85.7 million, with $83.3 million under contract, leaving $3.4 million available.

One of the items omitted from the projected spending is the $1.5 million for technology systemwide which was an element of the bond package.

Last month, county commissioners asked for a detailed accounting of all the the school projects, including an accounting of unspent funds in the various project budgets.

School officials are scheduled to be on hand Monday night to answer questions from commissioners.

Commissioners meet at 7 p.m. in the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Meeting Room, second floor, County Administrative Offices Building, 130 W. Innes St.